President faces struggle to fill posts after loyalists lose seats

Kenya's constitution gives President Mwai Kibaki the power to appoint his vice-president and other ministers, but the circle he can pick from is severely diminished after the election, which saw more than half his cabinet lose their seats.

The high-profile casualties included the vice-president, Moody Awori, the defence minister, Njenga Karume, and the roads minister, Simon Nyachae - political veterans and Kibaki loyalists who were derided as "yesterday's men" during the election campaign.

With 35 seats in parliament, compared with 100 for the opposition, Kibaki will struggle to fill his cabinet, especially as the opposition has rebuffed a government invitation to discuss power-sharing.

Kibaki, who was swept to power in 2002, already faces accusations that he surrounds himself with a narrow clique, and this election result is likely to intensify that perception. The president's coterie is nicknamed the Mt Kenya mafia because it derives from Central Province, home to the mountain that gave Kenya its name. His reliance on this inner circle has stoked jealousy among other ethnic groups in Kenya, who believe that the president's Kikuyu tribe has benefited most from recent economic growth.

The president also faces a legislative roadblock, with the opposition dominating parliament and likely to prevent the passing of a budget or other legislation. Kenya's single-chamber parliament can also pass a vote of no confidence in the government, potentially triggering the dissolution of a new Kibaki cabinet.

Kibaki's current difficulties echo his embarrassing defeat in a referendum on a new draft constitution in November 2005. Kibaki championed a draft that allowed the presidency to retain extensive powers.

Voters refused to support this and called for a new constitution which limited the president's powers. At the time, seven cabinet ministers rebelled against him to lead the no campaign - among them Raila Odinga, who now claims to have won the presidency.